A New Beginning
by Adrienne2
Summary: An Abby/Luka/Carter triangle
1. A New Beginning

"A New Beginning" 

"A New Beginning" 

Author's Note: I'm not sure how long this story will be, or how it'll end up, so I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Story: An Abby/Luka/Carter triangle

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to Warner Bros.

Spoilers: Everything in season six, and a few things from seven, but no major storylines. 

Tragedy struck the ER on Valentine's Day, of all the times of the year. Lucy Knight and John Carter had been stabbed, and Lucy died. Carter had a tough recovery, and later that spring, Abby Lockhart discovered his painkiller addiction. Peter Benton took Carter to rehab in Atlanta, and Abby was left alone all summer consumed with feelings of guilt. Had she done the right thing? She told herself over and over that she had. Abby knew the signs of addiction, having been an alcoholic. The moodiness and depression were present in Carter, and of course, denial. She hoped that when he returned, they would be on good terms, or life in the ER could be very difficult.

Summer passed slowly for Abby as she picked up extra nursing hours; now that Carol Hathaway was gone, another nurse was needed. The humid streets of Chicago were filled with residents and tourists alike, only they made Abby feel lonelier somehow. The happy families and couples in love simply reminded Abby of what she once had and hoped for. What did she have now? A divorce, no money, and no real friends. Sure, she had passing conversations with Elizabeth Corday, Jing-mei Chen and the nurses, but no one really to confide in. That's what she missed most about marriage: someone to talk to.

Luka Kovac sat in his hotel room alone, as always. The lights were off and he tried to sleep, but tonight his mind was too busy. Earlier that day he had lost three patients; a mother and her two children. His own family was dead, along with his spirit, in Croatia. Luka's mind conjured the smiling image of his wife. She was beautiful, with eyes as dark and majestic as the night sky. Both of their children had her eyes, which had held unspeakable terror the night that their innocent lives were taken. He would give anything to have them back.

Luka forced the thought from his mind; the memories carried too much pain. So, instead he thought about work and the patients he had seen, but then he came to Carol and how her absence was so sorely felt in the ER. Carol Hathaway…had he really loved her? How many times had he pictured her as his wife, and him acting as father for her twin girls, Kate and Tess? But, Carol was still in love with Dr. Doug Ross, so she moved to Seattle to be with him. No one who could abandon someone like Carol with two beautiful daughters deserves her, he thought bitterly. Her last words still rang in his head, months later. "You'll find someone, Luka. Someone who will love you as much as your wife did. You'll find her." But would he? 

Carol was the first person in America that he had opened up to, only to have his heart broken. He wasn't sure if he could survive any more disappointment and loss.

John Carter had spent three long months in Atlanta undergoing detox and therapy. He was much changed. Carter was harder and more lost than he ever had been.

At first he was angry. Angry with Paul Sobricki, his attacker; angry with Peter Benton and Kerry Weaver for forcing him into rehab, and angry with Abby Lockhart for recognizing his addiction. Then he realized he needed to go on, and make amends. Carter could never quite forgive Sobricki, mentally though he was, because Sobricki had murdered Carter's med student, Lucy Knight. He was never in love with Lucy, but there were all the "what ifs" that tortured him. Carter easily forgave Benton and Weaver; they truly cared, and he was very lucky that he wasn't fired.

And then there was Abby Lockhart. He thought about her quite often, and imagined the different ways he could apologize and thank her. If it hadn't been for Abby, he would probably be dead. Carter thought of writing her a letter, but decided doing it in person would be better. 

On the plane back to Chicago, he made a mental list of things to do. The first would be to go to the hospital and find Abby.

Chicago was the same as when Carter had left it three months ago. When he stepped off the plane, Carter recognized a familiar figure at the back of the crowd: Peter Benton.

"Carter, how are you?" Peter said as they greeted each other.

"Great," he lied.

"We've all missed you around here," Benton said as they got Carter's luggage and went out to his car.

"How is everyone?" Carter asked.

"Kerry and Romano are their usual sunny selves."

"Of course."

"Carol left for Seattle right after you."

"Is everything working out for her and Doug?"

"Yeah," Peter said with a smile. "Mark just heard from Doug last week. Kate and Tess are doing well too. And Mark and Elizabeth bought a house together; they just got engaged last week."

"Really? That's great," Carter said, with what he hoped was enthusiasm.

"There was some surprising news about Jing-mei. She's pregnant." Carter raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, that's what everyone said," Peter replied.

"How are you and Cleo doing?" Carter asked.

"Oh, you know…she really has a good relationship with Reese now. She's learning sign language and everything."

"Has Malucci grown up any?"

"God no," Peter said with a laugh.

"What about Kovac?"

"Well, after Carol left he started moping around in his own world. With everything that's happened to him, I can understand."

"And Abby?" Carter asked hesitantly.

"Abby? She picked up a lot of nursing hours over the summer. I think I heard her tell Kerry that her divorce was finalized. And then her tuition wasn't paid or something, so she's out of med school and back to nursing full time."

Carter looked out the window and realized they were already at the hospital.

"Weaver and Greene wanted to talk to you right away," Peter said as he parked the car. Carter took a deep breath before he got out and walked through the doors of the ER.

Mark and Kerry were waiting for him in the conference room.

"Good to have you back, Carter," Mark said as they both shook his hand.

"As I'm sure you've guessed," Kerry began, "there will be consequences for your actions." Carter simply nodded.

"You will be required to attend AA or NA meetings everyday for a year, be subjected to urine tests and your duties here in the ER will be restricted for several months. We're being extremely lenient because of the circumstances surrounding your addiction. Any questions?"

"Does everyone know?" Carter asked.

"Only the ER doctors plus Abby. Everyone else thinks that you burned out because of stress and took a leave of absence. Romano doesn't even know, but we've had a very tough time keeping it from him," Mark replied.

"Okay. Thank you…when can I start again?"

"Three weeks," Kerry replied, as her beeper went off. "I've got to go, see you later. Good to have you back, Carter," she said as she limped out of the room.

"You know, you can take more time off if you need it," Mark said.

"No, I just want to get back as soon as I can."

"Okay."

"I heard about you and Elizabeth. Congratulations."

"Thanks… are you sure you're all right, Carter?"

"Absolutely," he replied. Then there was an awkward pause.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," said Mark.

"Okay, thanks…Say, could you tell me if Abby Lockhart is on tonight?"

"Yeah, I think she is. Want me to go get her? Last time I checked she was in Trauma 1."

"No, that's okay. I'll find her."

"Welcome back, Carter," Mark said as he left the room.

Carter left the conference room and entered the ER. Nothing had changed; the usual mix of doctors, patients, nurses, and police officers roamed around. He spotted Abby across the room, just as she turned around, and their eyes met. He walked over to her.

"Dr. Carter," Abby began nervously.

"Hi, Abby."

"How are you?"

"Better, thank you…when do you get off?"

She checked her watch. "Ten minutes."

"I was wondering if I could take you out…to explain—"

"You don't have to," she cut him off. "I understand."

"Abby—"

"Dr. Carter, really, you don't need to."

"I want to," he said firmly. In his eyes Abby saw part of the old Carter that had disappeared last spring.

"Okay."

"So, how've you been," Carter asked. They had ended up at Doc Magoo's, familiar territory to them both.

"It's been sort of a rough summer," Abby told him with a weak sort of smile.

"I heard that you're back to nursing? What happened to med school?"

"Well, my husband, or actually my ex-husband, didn't pay my tuition."

"Are you going back?"

"I don't know. It seems like all I ever did as a student was screw up. I'm probably better off as a nurse."

"That's not true… You should've seen me when I was a student," Carter said with a laugh.

After a pause, Carter spoke again. "Abby, I need to tell you something, and please just listen…I'm so sorry for my reaction last spring when you confronted me. Jesus, I'm sorry. I've been thinking about it all summer."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Dr. Carter."

"Carter."

"Okay."

"And, thank you…for saving my life. I don't know where I'd be without you…probably dead."

"I understand what you're going through. And I know that's what everyone's probably saying to you, but…I'm an alcoholic. I do know what you're feeling."

"I didn't know," Carter said, a little shocked.

"It's not something I like to brag about. It started when my marriage was falling apart, but come to think of it, it was falling apart from the beginning."

"How did you get through it?"

"I went to med school and worked at the same time, so I was really busy. And the meetings helped. I had a really great sponsor."

"How long have you been sober?"

"Five years."

"Five years? And you still go to the meetings?"

"They're comforting. It's always good to know that no matter how bad you have it, there's always someone out there who has it worse."

Carter walked Abby home that night. She seemed so sad and lonely. When they got to the door he looked into her eyes.

"Goodnight, and thank you for dinner," Abby said.

"Goodnight, Abby," he said, but he still looked into her eyes. "I'll call you tomorrow," he said and then walked away.

Abby went into her apartment and got ready for bed. She lay awake, unable to sleep, thinking about that evening's events. Abby hadn't had someone to confide in for a long time, and she smiled to herself. Perhaps Carter was the friend that she so badly needed.


	2. A Second Chance

"A Second Chance"

"A Second Chance"

Author's Note: I'm not sure how long this story will be, or how it'll end up, so I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Story: An Abby/Luka/Carter triangle, continuation of "A New Beginning"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to Warner Bros.

Spoilers: Everything in season six, and a few things from seven, but no major storylines.

Luka walked into the lounge and found Abby getting some coffee. He walked over to his locker and put his jacket away.

"Hi Abby," Luka said.

"Dr. Kovac."

Luka looked over at Abby and saw the usual sad expression on her face. She really was quite beautiful, he thought. Luka hesitated, but then asked, "How are you?"

Abby was slightly taken aback. Dr. Kovac rarely even said hello to her, much less asked how she was. "I'm fine," Abby replied, a little cautiously. "How are you?"

"Good." They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments, but then Kerry walked in.

"Luka, we have a trauma coming in. Thirty-five year old male, gunshot wound," and then she walked out to meet the ambulance.

"Well, I'd better go," Luka said to Abby, as he went after Kerry.

After her shift, Abby went up to the roof of the hospital, as she often did after work. The city always seemed so peaceful as she looked down on it. She breathed in the cold air and tried to relax, but a sudden noise startled her.

Dr. Kovac walked out onto the roof. "Abby," he said, a little surprised. He walked over to the ledge and stood next to her.

"Dr. Kovac."

"Please, call me Luka."

"Do you come up here often, Luka?"

"Yes, I usually do after work. I see you up here sometimes. I never say anything though; you always look like you want to be alone."

"Sometimes, after a tough day. It's better than going home to an empty apartment."

"Yes, I know how that feels."

An ambulance sire could be heard, and they both watched the vehicle pull up to the hospital entrance.

"Are you of now?" Abby asked.

"Yes, are you?"

Abby nodded. "Do you want to go out to dinner?"

Luka hesitated for a moment, then thought about what awaited him at home. "Sure."

"I grew up by the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia. It was a beautiful village, but after the war it was too painful to stay there. What about you?" Luka asked.

Abby gave a dry laugh. "My childhood was a nightmare. I had to raise my brother and myself because my dad ran off and my mother's bipolar. We never knew what would set her off."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be… I think it's made me a stronger person."

"What about later, were you ever married?"

"For a few years…Richard was a doctor, he liked to cheat, out divorce was kind of inevitable…I'm glad it's over, though."

Luka smiled. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?"

"No, I can take the El. Thank you, though…for everything," Abby said.

"Goodnight."

"See you tomorrow," she replied as he walked away. Abby sat down on a bench to wait for the El. It had been a nice evening. She had surprised herself when she asked Luka to dinner, and was a little uneasy at first. Abby smiled to herself as she recalled the date, but then stopped herself. Was it a date? She didn't know. They had flirted, and there was a certain attraction she felt, but…perhaps, to play it safe, it was nothing but two co-workers having dinner. 

Luka lay awake that night as usual and his thoughts rested with Abby. He hadn't had anyone to talk to since Carol left…Carol…He needed to stop thinking about her and move on. Luka had done it once before, after he left Croatia, and that was hard enough. Perhaps Abby had come along at just the right time.

"So, when do you start work again?" Abby asked Carter as they left the AA meeting.

"Tomorrow, day shift."

"Me too…are you nervous?"

"A little."

"Weaver understands if you can't just jump right in, you know. You've been gone for more than three months."

"Yeah. I'm not allowed to take any traumas for a while, until Weaver and Greene start to trust me again."

"Can you really blame them though, Carter?" Abby asked.

"…No."

"It'll just take time."

Carter looked down at Abby and smiled. It was good to have someone to talk to besides a therapist.

"Say, where were you last night? I tried calling you a couple times."

Abby blushed a little and replied, "oh, um, I had dinner with Luka."

"Kovac?"

"Yeah."

"Like a date?"

"Sort of…"

"So…you like him?" Carter asked hesitantly.

"I don't know…maybe." There was an awkward silence.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked. 

"No, why?"

"Would you like to come over, watch a movie or something?'

"Sure."

"Shh! This is my favorite part," Carter said, as they watched "An Affair to Remember."

"You know Carter, I never would've thought you would be a fan or romantic movies," Abby said with a laugh, after the film had finished.

"You think it's funny?'

"Maybe."

"I'm just getting in touch with my feminine side," he joked.

Abby laughed and threw some popcorn at him, and Carter threw more back.

"You want war, don't you?" she asked and soon popcorn was flying everywhere. Abby took a pillow and went after Carter, but tripped and landed on the floor. He took this opportunity to pin her to the ground. They were both laughing uncontrollably and Carter began to tickle her.

"All right, all right! I give up, you win," Abby gasped.

Carter smiled and their eyes locked. For a few moments they didn't move, and Carter slowly leaned in to kiss her. But the chimes on his clock suddenly rang and Abby, aware of the awkward position they were in, said, "It's getting late. I should probably go."

"Yeah," Carter said reluctantly. He got up, and then helped Abby back on her feet. "Do you want a ride home?"

"If its not too much trouble."

"Of course not."

When they arrived at Abby's apartment, she broke the silence. "Get some sleep tonight, Carter. Tomorrow's a big day."

"I know…Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for everything you've done for me…not just for saving my life, but everything since I've gotten back. It's meant a lot to me." Carter looked up, and looked in Abby's eyes. He leaned over quickly and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow," she said, and got out of the car.

"Goodnight, Abby."

As Carter drove home, he thought of what had happened with Abby back at his apartment. Why had he tried to kiss her? She was the best friend he had right now, and he didn't want to ruin that, but everytime he was around her, Carter felt the urge to hold her, wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. He knew she was just getting over a bad divorce, and what about Luka Kovac? They had gone out on a date, Abby basically said that she liked him…oh, why did things have to be so complicated? Carter thought. 

Abby opened the door to her apartment and looked around. It always looked so empty and lonely. She missed having someone to come home to. As she got ready for bed, Abby thought about her evening with Carter. Had he tried to kiss her, or was she just imagining things? What did she really feel about him? He was a great friend, but she wasn't sure if she wanted more than friendship right now…and then there was Luka, who was also a friend, but a friend she was attracted to. What about their relationship? Did Luka feel the same way about her? There were many confusing questions floating around in her mind, but Abby was so exhausted that she fell right to sleep.

Carter took a deep breath and walked with what he hoped was a confident air into the ER. Mark Greene looked up from his chart and spotted him.

"Carter, welcome back," Mark said. 

"Thanks."

"How are you feeling?'

"Pretty good."

"Well, take it easy."

"I know," Carter replied. Chuny, Haleh, Lily, Yosh and Malik all greeted him, and Carter made his way to the lounge, where he found Abby and Luka, talking and putting their things away.

"Hey Carter," Abby said.

"Hi Abby, Luka," he replied.

"How are you?" Luka asked.

"Much better, thanks."

"Did you sleep well?" Abby asked.

"Like a baby," he lied. The truth was that he had stayed up most of the night thinking about Abby and worrying about today.

Kerry Weaver burst in the door. "Abby, Luka, I need you in trauma 1 now. Welcome back, John. There's a man with food poisoning in chairs for you."

"Good luck," Abby said as she and Luka followed Kerry out.

Abby opened the door to the roof and felt the cold air hit her face. She breathed deeply and tried to stop the tears from welling up. There had just been a trauma in which an abused woman had died. She was eight months pregnant, and the baby didn't make it either. Abby wasn't sure why this had affected her so much because she was around death all the time. Perhaps it was the look of despair and sadness in the woman's eyes, or the blueness of the baby's face when they performed the c-section. The creak of the door startled her, and Carter walked cautiously onto the roof. He walked over to Abby, put his arms around her and she began to cry.

She cried not only for the mother and her baby, but also for herself and all the pain in her life. Carter held her wordlessly and suddenly realized the extent of the pain that Abby felt. When she was quiet, he took her face in his hands and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, but she didn't say anything. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"…I don't know why it affected me so much…I saw the pain in her eyes, how she knew her baby was dead…how scared she was…why she stayed in that house…"

It struck Carter that Abby connected with this woman because of their similar situations. "Abby…Did he hit you?" Abby had told him of her ex-husband, his cheating and the misery of their marriage.

She looked at him, teary-eyed and nodded. She knew Carter understood because he simply kissed her forehead and held her again. 

To be continued…

(This is obviously going to end up a love story of either Abby and Luka or Abby and Carter, but I haven't decided which yet. So, if you have an opinion e-mail me! I may make my decision based on your thoughts, or do a sort of choose your own adventure thing and have the story end both ways to please everyone.)


	3. Mixed Emotions

"Mixed Emotions"

"Mixed Emotions"

By Adrienne

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Spoilers: Everything through season six and a few things from season seven.

Luka walked into work with butterflies in his stomach. He had stayed up most of the night trying to decide if he should ask Abby out. He felt a definite attraction, but wasn't sure if she felt the same. When he entered the lounge and saw her standing there, a rush of adrenaline shot through his body.

"Hi Abby," he began timidly.

"Oh, hey," she replied with a bright smile.

"Are you okay? You seemed a little upset the other night after the trauma with the pregnant mother."

"Yeah, I'm fine…You?"

"I'm okay."

"Good." They stood in an awkward silence.

"Listen, Abby," Luka said uncertainly, "I was wondering if maybe you would want to…go out…on a date sometime?"

"I'd like that," Abby told him, hardly believing this was happening.

"Is this Friday okay?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Luka replied and walked out into the ER as Elizabeth Corday walked in.

"Hello, Abby," she said and noticed the euphoric expression on the young nurse's face. "You're looking awfully happy today."

"I have a date," Abby said, floating around on cloud nine, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Ah, that would account for the smile on Dr. Kovac's face," Elizabeth commented. Abby blushed slightly and Elizabeth continued, "He is quite handsome. If it weren't for Mark, I'd be all over him."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The week sailed by for both Luka and Abby and soon it was Friday. After work Abby was in the lounge getting ready to go home when Carter walked in.

"Hi Abby," he said when he saw her.

"Oh, hi Carter.'

"Busy day."

"Yeah, could've been worse though."  
"I suppose it could've been…so you want to catch a movie tonight or something?"

Abby then remembered she still hadn't told Carter about her date with Luka. This was exactly the awkward situation she was hoping to avoid. "Umm…actually, I have a date tonight."

Carter's face fell with that. "Oh…with who?" he inquired.

"Luka," Abby said, noticing Carter's hurt expression.

"Well, have fun," he told her and walked out. Abby stood at her locker for a moment, contemplating Carter's reaction. Did he really see them as more than just friends? She regretted having hurt him, but what was done could not be undone. Abby sighed and went home, determined to have a good time on her date, regardless of the damper Carter'' reaction may have put on it.

Abby tried on about ten different outfits, before deciding on what she should wear. Usually she didn't spend this much time getting ready, but tonight was special.

The doorbell rang and Abby's stomach jumped. When she opened the door, Luka was standing there, gorgeous as always.

"You…you look beautiful," he stammered.

"Thanks…so do you," she replied awkwardly and mentally kicked herself. 'So do you?' she thought.

"Ready to go?"

"Absolutely."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

First dates were almost always awkward for Abby, but with Luka, she felt at ease. He made her laugh and seemed so much different than the serious and quiet Luka she knew from work. For Luka it was a relief not to be alone for once. He spent most of the time he wasn't at work in his hotel room watching TV or reading medical journals. Seeing Abby's smile filled him with joy.

"So one time when I was about ten, my brother and I decided it would be fun to see if we could fly. We went up to the roof of a barn and jumped, expecting to soar, but we both broke out legs instead," Luka told her.

Abby laughed. "You thought you could fly?"

Luka shrugged. "I was ten, kids think silly things."

"I think the craziest thing my brother and I ever did was trying to run away from home."

"Why did you do that?"

"My mother was in one of her manic stages, and she showed up at school, screaming, claiming that our teachers were corrupting us…we just couldn't take it anymore."

"Are you and your brother close?"

"We used to be. As kids we were inseparable, but now he lives in Florida and I don't see him that often."

"Do you see your mother much?" Luka inquired.

"She comes and she goes, sometimes I don't see her for as long as a year, but she always shows up again," Abby told him with a sort of knowing exhaustion. He sensed this wasn't a very comfortable subject for her, so he talked about something else.

"So, why did you decide to go to med school?"

"As an OB nurse, I would do the same thing everyday and could only do so much to help a patient. I guess I just wanted to be able to do more…How did you know you wanted to be a doctor?

"My father wanted me to be a doctor, and I guess I just grew up knowing that's what I would become."

"Do you go back to Croatia to see your family?"

"A few times a year I go to visit my father and brother…it's different now though…so many of the people I knew before the war are dead, entire cities that were destroyed in the bombing have been rebuilt…it's just not the same."

"I can't imagine going through something like that."

"I don't think anyone can…it's just something that happens and you have to deal with it as it comes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Luka walked her home that night, and when they got to the door of her apartment, they stood awkwardly, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"I had a great time tonight," Abby told him.

"'So did I," Luka replied, not sure if he should kiss her or not. "Well…good night."

"Bye," Abby replied, but they still stood there, looking into each other's eyes, as if there was a magnetic force binding them together. Luka leaned in slowly and Abby met him halfway. Her heart jumped when their lips met, the kiss was so soft and gentle. Luka pulled back and opened his eyes, seeing a smile on Abby's face. He leaned in again, this time slowly massaging her lips. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, and felt her hands fasten themselves behind his neck.

Abby sighed softly, enjoying his kiss, and parted her lips slightly when she felt his tongue probing. Their tongues danced together, and then he continued to explore every inch of her mouth. She ran her hands through is hair and pushed her tongue into his mouth. They stood there in the dim hallway for what seemed like an eternity, enjoying this intimacy. When the couple finally broke apart, they were breathless, and Luka rested his forehead on Abby's.

"I should go," he whispered.

"Okay," she said, not wanting him to go, but also not wanting to move too quickly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Luka told her and gave her one last kiss before letting go of her waist and walking away.

Abby unlocked her door and walked into her apartment. She couldn't stop grinning. Lying in bed that night, she fell asleep thinking about Luka and that incredible kiss they had shared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Luka walked away from Abby's door, amazed by what had just happened. He laughed to himself softly, as giddy as a teenager who had just experienced his first kiss. As he walked home that night all he could think about was Abby, and how wonderful she made him feel. Her smile, her laugh, and most of all how she felt in his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Abby went into work the next morning, excited but nervous. She couldn't wait to see Luka, but what would she say? Would he kiss her? Would he ask her out again? Abby didn't have a lot of time to ponder these questions though, because just as she hung up her coat, Luka walked into the lounge.

He smiled as soon as he saw her. "Hi."

"Hey," she replied, blushing slightly.

Luka pulled flowers out from behind his back and presented them to Abby. "These are for you."

She was surprised, and could barely believe how wonderful this man was. "Thank you," she said, and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, but afterwards his hand caught her face and their lips met. 

"I thought about you all night," he whispered between kisses.

"What a coincidence," she replied, and he chuckled in response.

Their kiss was interrupted by Carter, who walked into the room. When he saw the couple and realized who it was, he tried to make a hasty exit. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'll just—"

"No, Carter, it's okay!" Abby assured him.

"I should get out there," Luka said. "Meet you for lunch?"

"Sure," Abby replied, as he walked out the door.

When Luka left, Carter and Abby exchanged awkward glances.

"Umm…I'm sorry about walking in like that."

"Don't worry about it, John, we shouldn't have been doing that in here anyway."

"…So, I take it the date went well?" 

Abby blushed. "Yes, it did."

"Good…I'm glad," he told her, but his expression said something different altogether. 

Abby sighed. She had finally found a wonderful man in Luka, but it was at the risk of hurting her best friend. She wanted both and wished there was an easy answer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
